THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FOOTBALL BLOG OF THE DECADE - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Balotelli shows off what he learned at charm school

As spotted by our pals at Pies, Mario Balotelli has been awarded the 2010 Golden Boy award – for players younger than 21 only - for his topsy-turvy performances that cause fans to love him and dispair of him at the same time. Amazingly, he managed to tap into this exact same fluctuating emotional scale on accepting the thing, just ahead of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere, saying these words:

“I don’t know who Wilshere is, but the next time I play against Arsenal I will keep a close eye on him. Perhaps I will show him the trophy and remind him that I won it.”